# Chapter Five:
Kai Lin's heart was still pounding violently in his ears as he moved away from the winding alleys, leaving the mysterious men behind. He didn't understand how he managed to disappear from their sight, but he felt a strange power flowing through his veins, a power connected to the stone eye that still radiated a faint coolness in his pocket. This ability, however mysterious, was what saved him. But it also confirmed to him that his world had changed forever.
The sun had begun to set, casting long shadows over Celestia's crowded streets. Kai Lin felt tired, not just physically, but psychologically as well. The whispers in his head grew stronger, as if trying to tell him something, but they were incomprehensible words, further confusing his perception. He needed a safe place, a place where he could think, to understand what was happening to him.
Kai Lin remembered an old library he used to frequent, an almost deserted library, located in a quiet neighborhood away from the city's hustle and bustle. It was a place where he found solace in old books, away from the noise of the world. Perhaps he would find some answers there, or at least, some peace.
When he arrived at the library, he found it as he had left it: old wooden doors, dusty windows, and the scent of ancient books filling the air. He entered cautiously, his footsteps echoing in the silence. The bookshelves stretched to the ceiling, filled with volumes bearing forgotten titles. The place seemed as if it hadn't changed for centuries.
As he wandered among the shelves, he felt another presence in the library. It wasn't a threatening presence, but a calm, wise one. He moved towards the source of the feeling and found an old man sitting behind a large wooden desk, wearing thick glasses, and reading an old book. The man had a long white beard and intelligent eyes gleaming from behind his glasses.
"Welcome, my son," the old man said in a calm voice, without lifting his eyes from the book. "I haven't seen you here in a while. Did you find what you were looking for?"
Kai Lin was surprised. How did this man know he had been there before? And how did he know he was looking for something?
"I... I'm looking for answers," Kai Lin said, pulling the stone eye from his pocket. "About this."
The old man looked at the stone eye and smiled faintly. "Ah, the Eye of Perception. It chose you then. I knew it would someday."
Kai Lin was shocked. "You know it? You know what it is?"
"I know a lot, my son. My name is Professor Feng. And I, like Mr. Wu, see what others don't." Professor Feng said, closing his book and setting it aside. "Sit down, you seem to have a lot to tell, and a lot to learn."
Kai Lin sat on a wooden chair opposite Professor Feng, feeling a strange comfort. This man was different from Mr. Wu. He possessed an aura of knowledge and calmness, as if he carried the secrets of the universe in his mind. Kai Lin began to tell him everything that had happened: his "Fragmented Perception Disorder," the whispers, the man who collapsed in the market, the chase in the alleys, and how he managed to disappear. Professor Feng listened attentively, interrupting only with some deep questions.
When Kai Lin finished, Professor Feng sighed. "What you see, my son, is not madness. It is an 'awakening.' You are one of the few who possess the ability to see beyond the veil, to see the 'fields of existence,' and the entities that feed on them. The stone eye is a 'catalyst,' a tool that helps you open your third eye, the eye of perception. But it also makes you a target."
"A target for whom?" Kai Lin asked.
"For those who fear what they don't understand, and for those who seek to control these forces. There are organizations working in the shadows, seeking to gather the awakened, or to eliminate them. And there are the shadows, entities from other dimensions, feeding on negative emotions and human consciousness." Professor Feng said, his eyes gazing deeply into Kai Lin's. "You are now at a crossroads, my son. You can ignore what you have seen, and live your life in ignorance, or you can choose to understand, to face the truth, and to become part of this hidden conflict. But know that this path is fraught with dangers, and it may cost you a lot."
Kai Lin looked at the stone eye in his hand. It radiated a faint glow, as if calling him. He no longer felt fear, but a strange sense of purpose. This was what he had been searching for his entire life. He didn't want to live in ignorance. He wanted to understand. He wanted to see the truth, no matter how painful.
"I want to understand," Kai Lin said, his eyes fixed on Professor Feng. "I want to learn."
Professor Feng smiled wisely. "Then, let your journey begin, my son. But know that knowledge comes at a price. And the price is that you will never see the world as others do. You will be alone in your perception, but you will not be alone in your struggle."
This was the beginning of Kai Lin's true journey. A journey into the depths of consciousness, and into the secrets of the world of "Abyssal Shadows," a world he was not ready for, but was determined to face.